Betrothed
by Analytical
Summary: Lucy has been ripped away from her life with her adopted parents, and is forced to become the princess of the island Fiore. Gray is tired of his entire life being planned by other people. They are both engaged, thanks to the "unification" of their countries. Will they continue to hate each other, or will they overcome the obstacles and fall in love?
1. Losing Freedom

Disclaimer: Yeah... It's Hiro Mashima who came up with the characters in this story. However I own the plot of the story, and that's what matters.

Author's Note: I've decided to write one of those wonderful alternate universe fan fictions in which all the people in Fairy Tail are normal high schoolers. (Well sort of... you'll see.) Just so you know, my knowledge of Japanese culture could fit in a thimble, so I'm writing this as though they live in the good ol' USA.

Graduating high school.

Lucy was so happy to have done it. Now she could go on and live her life. She had absolutely no obligations.

Or so she had thought...

As everyone in school reminded her every single freaking day, Lucy was an orphan. So she had been adopted by a couple that couldn't have children. Lucy loved them just as much as she had loved her parents, and loved her as much as her parents had loved her.

She walked into her home, greeting her adopted parents, "Hello Mom, hi Dad! Good to see you!"

"Hello dear," Lucy's mom cheerily said.

"Hey kid!" Her dad said, smiling, "You're sure happy today!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy asked brightly, "Now I'm free to do whatever I want with my life!"

Instantly the smiles dropped off of her parents faces.

"What's wrong?" Lucy questioned, her face losing some of its cheer too.

Lucy's father was the first to speak up, "Honey, you're real mom told you that she was the queen of an island, and that you were the princess, right?"

"Yeah, but she was just making that up. Lots of moms tell their children that they're princesses..." Lucy trailed off nervously.

"She was serious Lucy," her father explained, "And you're apparently engaged to the prince of a different island."

"No! That's not true!" Lucy protested, "You're making a joke and it's not very funny! I want to live my own life! I refuse to do what someone else tells me to do!"

"We're serious," Lucy's mom said, "And darling I also wish it wasn't true. I wish with all my heart and then some. We love you so very much."

Lucy knew that it was true. There wasn't a thing she could do about it... yet.

"Where is it?" she asked, "When do I leave?"

"It's an island off the coast of California. Your flight is tomorrow morning. A car is going to pick you up." Lucy's mom was crying at this point, and Lucy realized that she was too. "We want so much for you to not need to go! We love you so much it hurts, and now your being ripped away from us!"

"Let's not cry," Lucy said, drying her tears, "We should be happy in the time we have left. Now, I should get packed up for my... trip. Will you guys help me?"

"You won't need a thing," Lucy's dad said sadly, "Like we said, your a princess now. They'll provide for you."

"Oh," Lucy was dumbstruck, but quickly recovered, "I'll need things to remind me of you guys, right?"

"You're right!" Lucy's mom smiled at her through the tears, "We'll give you pictures, and a couple of other things, just so you'll remember."

"I'm going to bring some of my clothes too, because there is no way I'm going to wear some of those stupid princess dresses!" Lucy replied.

The family of three laughed.

After a hasty packing job the night before, Lucy stood in front of her house, with her parents, waiting for the car to pick her up.

It finally showed up, a long sleek stretch limousine that looked out of place in the dirty neighborhood.

Lucy was beginning to have an idea of just how rich she supposedly was.

As she started to clamber into the car, her mom grabbed her hand, pushing a small black jewelry box into it.

"This has been in the family for generations," she explained to Lucy, "I always thought that I would give it to you, my daughter, on her wedding day, just like my mother gave it to me, but that's not possible, so here you go."

"Thank you Mom." Lucy was shocked, her adoptive mother was giving her a family treasure.

Her mother seemed to read the look on her face, "You are, and always will be, my daughter." she said, "I hope you will call us, and tell us what the island is like."

"Of course," Lucy smiled. "Maybe I can even invite you to my wedding!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" her father said.

"I love you both," Lucy said, "Forever and longer!"

"We love you more!" they said in unison.

"Your Highness, we have to go," the chauffeur said, "Your bags have been loaded into the car already."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, but... my name is Lucy, and I'd like you to use it. Goodbye mom, goodbye dad." Lucy hugged her parents and climbed into her car. Tears were streaming down her face as she quietly wept.

At the airport Lucy was told that she didn't need to bother with bags. Someone else would handle them.

She just nodded and sniffed. It hurt to be taken away from her real parents.

A pink-haired boy and his cat were waiting for her at the gate.

"Hey Lucy!" he called, "It's good to see you!"

"Who are you?" she squawked, "How do you know my name? Why is your cat blue?"

"Hm..." the boy thought for a minute, "I'm, Natsu, Happy and I work for the Fairy-Tail household. We're here to escort you."

"What's wrong with being blue?" the cat asked, "I happen to like that color."

"Kya!" Lucy screamed, "Your cat can talk!"

"Technically, I'm not a cat!" Happy told her, "I'm an exceed!"

"What's that?" Lucy was so confused at this point that she didn't care if exceeds were winged control freaks from another dimension.

"We're a breed of animals that have a higher amount of intelligence than other animals." the cat explained.

"You're a funny person, Your Highness," Natsu said, "I think we're going to be best friends!"

"Really?" Lucy asked. She had never had a friend before. "Oh, and feel free to call me Lucy, because that's my name."

"Really... Lucy" Natsu said, grinning at her, "Now lighten up, because you're going home, not leaving."

That hurt Lucy more than anyone could possibly imagine.

She was leaving her real family behind. And going to her biological one. Home would always be with Kathy and John Jennings. Nowhere else.

"No!" she cried, "Home will always be here! The place I'm being dragged to today will never be home as long as I live!"

"Eh? Why are you so sad?" Natsu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Have you ever been taken away from your family?" Lucy rounded on him, furious, "Do you know what it's like? To have your parents ripped away from you, and nothing you can do to stop it?"

"Yes!" Natsu yelled, "I know exactly what it's like! Everyone who works at the Fairy-Tail household has their own sadness to carry with them! You can't act like your the only person who's lost something!"

"You're right," Lucy said, sniffling, "I'm being selfish. I'm not the only person in the world who lost something. It's just... I lost one set of parents when I was ten, and now I'm losing my other parents. I'm sure everyone who works for the Fairy-Tail family is really nice, but I will resent them for taking away Kathy and John."

"I lost my father, Igneel," Natsu said, "So I understand. Just don't treat everyone as though they don't know sadness. You must look forward to tomorrow."

"That was a very smart thing for you to say Natsu." Happy said, "That's not like you at all."

Lucy laughed as Natsu protested. She didn't like what had happened in the past, but she was ready to face what was ahead. She was going to give the snobs up in the Fairy-Tail household a heck of a time. She grinned and boarded the plane.

While on the airplane, she looked down at the small black box in her hands.

She wouldn't open it yet.

It was too painful.

The End (of chapter one/the prologue)

Lucy seems like she's psychologically disturbed in this. Her emotions change so quickly. Oh well...

Chapter Two (In which Gray and everyone else will probably show up.) is almost finished! Sadly, I need to sleep, so I couldn't finish in time to post it today.

Just so you know, I am not going to do a love triangle between Natsu, Lucy, and Gray. It may seem that way in this chapter, but someone needed to meet Lucy, and I couldn't think if anything funnier than someone sending Natsu to escort Lucy, even though he would have to go through several types of transportation. Especially if Erza was trying to get back at him for breaking something.

I'm also working on the latest story for Moments to Remember, but this one is giving me trouble. I have myself am idea that will take me forever to get right, so don't expect much on that end.

Everything else is complete, unless anyone has any objections...

Remember people: I take all requests! I will in most probabilities, accept whatever you throw at me, so request away! (As long as it's a couple I support. I'm very picky about which couples of made up characters I support.)

If you have question, comments, concerns, complaints, critiques, or requests, you know how to reach me.


	2. My Name is Lucy

Disclaimer: Ask Hiro Mashima if he'll give Fairy Tail to me. Maybe if enough people rally, he'll sell it by popular demand.

Author's Note: Time for Lucy to meet her future husband! And it's Gray! Yay! I'm so excited!

Lucy glanced at the ill teenage boy beside her.

"Why did they send you to escort me if you can't handle transportation?" she asked, curious.

"Erza was mad at Natsu, because he destroyed a few items of great importance. Also, several people wanted him out of the way while they prepared for your arrival. This is the result." Happy explained cheerily.

"I don't think it's right to treat fellow employees that way," Lucy complained, "If Natsu and Erza work under the same household, they should try to get along better."

"If it displeases you, then something like this will never happen again, I'll make sure of it!" Happy told Lucy hurriedly, "But the people working in the Fairy-Tail household act as a family. Everyone is incredibly close, and they tease and torment each other, just as siblings would do."

"That's good, I guess," Lucy agreed, "But I don't want my escort vomiting on me!" she whined.

"We'll take that into consideration, Your Highness," Happy said seriously.

"Don't call me that!" Lucy protested, "I don't like it!"

"The moving..." Natsu said, "So much... motion..."

After the airplane had reached Magnolia's airport- and Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had vacated it- they had been picked up by yet another sleek black stretch limo.

"Your bags have already been loaded into your car, Your Highness." a servant said obediently.

"We should ride with you more often, Your Highness," Happy said, "We never get this type of treatment."

"You know my name is Lucy," she ordered, "So use it please."

The car had already reached the palace when Natsu complained about his illness.

"We've stopped." Lucy said dryly, stepping out of the car.

She was ready to meet the Fairy-Tail household.

Lucy was greeted by several dozen people standing in front of her new home.

"Welcome home, Princess and Future Ruler of Fiore!" they shouted together.

"Wow," Lucy said, absolutely shocked, "Even you guys didn't have the sense to use my name."

That was a bit of an awkward moment for everyone.

A usually shy blue haired girl was the first to break the silence, "I'm Levy," she smiled, "I take care of the library."

"Pleased to meet you," Lucy said, holding out her hand, "I'm the Princess and Future Ruler of Fiore, but I would much rather you call me Lucy."

"If you're giving me permission to be informal, may I call you Lu-chan?"

Levy asked.

"As long as your not giving me a stupid title, I don't really care, so go right ahead!" Lucy said brightly.

"I'm Jet!" a boy behind Levy said.

"And I'm Droy," said another one.

"We help Levy!" they exclaimed, with hearts in their eyes.

"Gajeel, Your Highness" the large male with black hair crossed his arms as he introduced himself.

"He works in the steel mill!" Levy said.

"Call me Lucy," she repeated for the hundredth time that day, "Is your cat an exceed, like Happy." Lucy pointed at the black cat beside Gajeel.

"Indeed, I am, Your Highness," the cat replied, "My name is Panther Lily."

"It's nice to meet you, and my name is still Lucy. Feel free to use it."

"My apologies... Lucy," Panther Lily said, "Now that I have permission to address you casually, I shall do so to the best of my ability."

"Great!" Lucy grinned, "But before I meet the next person, I want you to all know that you have permission to call me by my name, Lucy Jennings."

"We will call you Lucy," a white-haired girl agreed, "But your last name is Fairy-Tail."

"My name may have been Fairy-Tail at one point," Lucy admitted, "But as far as I'm concerned, it's Jennings now. Nothing will convince me otherwise."

No one could argue with her, so they bit their tongues and looked at their feet.

"Mira," the girl from before greeted her, "I'm the head chef here!"

She introduced her to the remaining people.

A seemingly drunk brown haired woman wearing a revealing top.

"This is Cana, she manages our alcohol stores."

An orange haired guy in a black suit.

"Loke, who cares for the lions, and is currently watching over your engagement rings."

Lucy stiffened noticeably at this.

A small blue haired girl.

"Wendy is our weather girl. She tells us all about the sky."

A white cat next to Wendy. Wearing clothes!

"Carla watches over Wendy."

A young man with purple hair.

"Romeo helps Natsu oversee all of the palace's fires."

"So that's what Natsu does!" Lucy exclaimed, "I was wondering about that!"

"That's what Natsu is supposed to do!" Mira laughed, "Usually he just destroys things!"

They came upon a girl with vibrant red hair, wearing armor and eating cake.

"Erza here is in charge of the armory."

A green haired woman standing next to a black haired man.

"Bisca and Alzack oversee the guns in the armory."

"Laxus is in charge of the lightning rods. The Fairy-Tail family has the most sophisticated system on the planet!"

Laxus was a man with a lightning shaped scar on his face, spiky blonde hair, and headphones on his ears. He nodded at Lucy, but didn't say a word. Next to him stood a man with a red coat and long green hair, a man wearing a knight's helmet, and a woman with light brown hair.

"Fried and Bickslow manage the city's defenses. Evergreen maintains the sculpture garden."

"I am devoted to Laxus!" Fried told Lucy.

Bickslow stuck his tongue out at her. For some reason the Fairy-Tail family crest on it.

Evergreen studied Lucy carefully, "You're hardly dainty enough to be a fairy," she scolded.

"Um... Okay," Lucy said, confused by their actions.

"Aquarius watches over all of the fountains and swimming pools here." said Mira, pointing to a woman with blue hair.

"You're lucky you're engaged, or you'd never get a boyfriend." scoffed Aquarius.

"Taurus takes care of the cows."

"Your figure is lovely!" he exclaimed.

"Aries is in charge if the sheep."

"I'm sorry," the pink haired girl said nervously.

"Gemi and Mini do fraud check."

"Hello!" they said.

"Cancer is our barber."

Greetings -ebi," said he.

"This is the head of our archers, Sagittarius."

"As it were moshi-moshi." he saluted.

"Scorpio mans the canons."

That guy didn't say a thing.

"Capricorn is the butler."

"I will care for you, just as I promised your mother." The man vowed.

"Virgo is going to be your maid."

"Greetings Princess," the purple haired girl said, bowing deeply.

"Lastly," Mira said, "Are my two siblings. Lisanna is the manager of our zoo, and Elfman teaches your fiancé protocol."

Lucy glanced at the petite girl with white hair, then raised an eyebrow at the muscle bound man next to her.

"You teach protocol?" she asked incredulously.

"I teach Gray to be a Man!" Elfman shouted.

"So my future husband's name is Gray..." Lucy concluded.

"Oh um... Yeah! He's named Gray!" Mira laughed nervously.

"You forgot Juvia, Mira," a girl with blue hair that curled up at the ends complained.

"Oh! Juvia! Lucy this is Juvia! She-"

"Juvia is Gray-sama's maid! She takes care of him! You would never understand, Love Rival!" Juvia finished for Mira.

"Why does she call me her love rival?" Lucy asked, "I'm pretty sure that I've won, considering that I'm going to marry Gray."

"Yeah..." Mira said nervously.

"Come to think of it, where is my fiancé? I'm not looking forward to marrying him, but I'd still like to meet him."

"He wasn't interested in meeting you," Lisanna said sadly.

"Not at all like a Man, I have failed," Elfman admitted.

"That's fine, I'll see him eventually." Lucy said, not sure if she should be disappointed or received.

"Come on! I want to show you everything!" Mira grabbed Lucy's hand.

"Would it be okay if I walked around by myself?" Lucy asked, "I want to experience this on my own."

"Go ahead!" Mira replied, "Just make sure you're in the dining room by six o'clock. If you're lost, just holler for Lisanna. She'll help you out."

"See you later!" Lucy said with false brightness.

Gray wandered around the palace, wondering where he was. He hadn't wanted to see his bride-to-be, so he had declined meeting her out front. However, boredom had driven him out of his room.

He had told Elfman that he wasn't interested in his fiancé, but that had been a lie. He wanted to know what she looked like, what her personality was. He didn't even know what her name was.

Caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the blonde walking towards him, immersed in her own ideas.

So, of course, they crashed into each other.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl exclaimed, "I was so out of it that I didn't see you!"

"Hey, it's okay," Gray said, "I wasn't looking where I was going either."

"You wouldn't happen to know your way around here, would you?" after a second she added, "Or where your clothes are?"

"Darn!" Gray yelled, looking down at his boxers, "I'm so sorry. I involuntarily strip at random points in time. And no, I don't know the way around, I'm new here." He stood there for a minute, "I think I'm lost too." he admitted.

"We can be lost together!" the blonde grinned, "However, I have to be in the dining hall at six o'clock, and it's... five now, so I should probably look for it."

"I have to be there too," Gray told her, "Let's look together."

"Great!" she said, "But if we aren't there in thirty minutes, I'm calling for help."

"Deal!" Gray agreed.

Gray found that he and the blonde meshed together well. They got along famously. She was smart, funny, kind, and attractive.

"If I wasn't already betrothed," he thought, "I might find myself in danger of falling for her."

So Gray didn't want to know her. He didn't want to fall in love with someone who he (obviously) couldn't have.

His entire life had been dictated to him, syllable by syllable. He had absolutely no say in it.

So he didn't even ask her name. Nor did he offer his.

Lucy thought that the raven-haired boy beside her was intelligent, witty, generous, and handsome.

It was bad enough that her freedom had been snatched away. She didn't want to make herself miserable.

She didn't ask for his name either. She didn't introduce herself as Lucy.

When they finally arrived at the dining hall, they were greeted by a small old man.

"That's Makarov, the master of Fairy-Tail's servants," Gray whispered to the girl.

"Ah, Lucy, I see you've now met your future spouse," the old man said. "Gray, that's your bride you're standing next to."

"What?"they both shouted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" cried Lucy.

"I didn't know!" Gray retorted, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Makarov intervened, "This misunderstanding was due to no one save myself. I should have set up an official meeting earlier, or sent you pictures or something. Now, I'm sure Mira has cooked up something delightful in honor of your return, Your Highness, so let's eat!"

"My name!" screamed Lucy, "Is Lucy Jennings! Use it! Under no circumstance shall anyone ever call me Your Highness!"

"Would your name be Lucy Fairy-Tail?" Gray asked.

"Not anymore!" she said fiercely.

"Very well, Lucy, let us continue on with dinner." the old man said serenely.

Lucy nodded wordlessly, but didn't make any move towards the dining hall. The master shrugged and went inside.

"Come on Lucy," Gray said, grabbing her hand, "Mira's an excellent cook..."

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, pulling her hand away.

"All right, I won't, but please come in." Gray pleaded.

"Fine," Lucy said, "But I have on question."

"What?"

"Why does everyone have the Fairy-Tail crest tattooed on them?"

"Everyone associated with your, I mean, the Fairy-Tail family is required to have them. You'll get one soon."

"Great," muttered Lucy, "Just one more thing that I can't control."

"What did you say?" Gray inquired, looking at her worriedly.

"I said, 'Let's go eat!'" lied Lucy. Gray raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask for an honest answer.

"After you," he said.

The End (of the second chapter)

I'm sorry that Lucy meeting everyone was so messy. I wanted it all in one place, and I didn't feel like describing everyone that much. Since you all know what she looks like.

I'm also sorry that I wasn't very imaginative with giving everyone jobs.

Remember, if you have something to say, you know how to reach me.


	3. Friends

Disclaimer: Still the same thing. Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

Previously...

_When they finally arrived at the dining hall, they were greeted by a small old man. _

_"That's Makarov, the master of Fairy-Tail's servants," Gray whispered to the girl. _

_"Ah, Lucy, I see you've now met your future spouse," the old man said. "Gray, that's your bride you're standing next to."_

_"What?"they both shouted. _

_"Why didn't you tell me?" cried Lucy. _

_"I didn't know!" Gray retorted, "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_Makarov intervened, "This misunderstanding was due to no one save myself. I should have set up an official meeting earlier, or sent you pictures or something. Now, I'm sure Mira has cooked up something delightful in honor of your return, Your Highness, so let's eat!"_

_"My name!" screamed Lucy, "Is Lucy Jennings! Use it! Under no circumstance shall anyone ever call me Your Highness!"_

_"Would your name be Lucy Fairy-Tail?" Gray asked. _

_"Not anymore!" she said fiercely. _

_"Very well, Lucy, let us continue on with dinner." the old man said serenely. _

_Lucy nodded wordlessly, but didn't make any move towards the dining hall. The master shrugged and went inside. _

The dinner that followed was delicious, but incredibly awkward. Not a word was spoken by the 14-odd people at the table. Gray and Lucy brooded moodily.

By the time the stupid "banquet" finally ended, Gray thought that his brain was going to chew its way out of his head. In all of his life he had no recollection of ever being quite so bored. It had come close though, at several state dinners and coronations, and christenings, and...

The list goes on forever.

A life you make no choice in has very little interesting things in it, and the things that are interesting tend to only make your life worse.

"Mira, that was a magnificent meal!" the master!" Makarov praised her, "Now it's up to bed for all of us, otherwise tomorrow will be quite difficult."

"Um..." Lucy said intelligently, "Where am I sleeping?"

"Virgo will show you to your room, Lucy," the master said, "Any other questions?"

"Yes, I've got one," Gray piped up, "When are Lucy and I getting married?"

"As is tradition, the wedding must take place on the bride's birthday-" the master began.

"But that's tomorrow!" Lucy exclaimed, "How will everything be ready by then?"

"It won't be." the old man said, "Which is precisely why we're waiting for next year."

"We have three hundred sixty-five days," Gray concluded.

"You two are lucky, this way you'll get to know each other. Some couples only get about a month together." Makarov said optimistically, "Now, off to bed with the both of you! And Lucy, you'll be getting your official Fairy-Tail crest tattoo tomorrow morning."

"Great! Just great!" Lucy muttered, then yelled, "We're going!"

"Right this way, Princess," Virgo said leading her down the hall. Gray made his way towards his room, and realized that Virgo was going the same way as him.

"Please let our rooms just be near each other." he thought.

Sadly, his wonderful, noble wish was not granted.

"This is your room, Princess," Virgo told Lucy. Sure enough, it was the room that Gray had been staying in for the past week or so.

When he followed her into the room, Lucy looked as though she was about to murder him.

"What are you doing in my room?" she screamed at him.

"Guess what: this is my room to! Turns out we get to be roommates!" Gray retorted.

"I will not stand for this!" Lucy protested, as she turned to leave though, Gray grabbed her wrist.

"Don't do it." he warned her, "They won't change the rules, and if you try to disobey them... you won't like the consequences."

"I can take whatever they throw at me." Lucy vowed, "I am not sleeping with you."

"They won't hurt you personally. That would be wrong. The last time I tried to flout my responsibilities, they dismissed every worker in the castle that I had been associated with. They were out of the job, and I had to start over with making new friends." Gray explained, "Don't put yourself against them, because they know exactly how to hurt you."

"Quit touching me," Lucy snarled, "And who are 'they'?"

"No one knows..." Gray said ominously, "Or at least, I don't. From what I've gathered, they have even more authority than Makarov, who actually seems okay."

"I don't care!" Lucy proclaimed, "The only person I kind of know here is you, and I don't care if they dismiss you. In fact, I'd be glad, because then we wouldn't have to get married."

"They might mess up your adopted parents lives." Gray said.

Lucy sat down quickly and clutched a small black box that she had pulled out of nowhere.

"I lose..." she whispered.

"It's okay," Gray said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "We're in this together, right? Everywhere that they leave an opening, we'll do what we can. We're going to use every chance we have to defy them."

"You're really going to help me mess with them?" Lucy asked.

"I've been living with this my entire life! I try to make this people regret controlling my life at least once everyday." Gray said, "Together Luce, we are going to extract vengeance. After us, they'll never screw up another person's life again."

"You really think so?" Lucy said hopefully.

"I know so. We'll be the most annoying, rude, bratty, irritating duo on the planet! No one can stop us!" Gray declared.

"That will be easy for you," Lucy teased, "But I may have trouble with it."

"And as you said, I'm brilliant at it," replied Gray, "I'm also a wonderful teacher, so this will be a piece of cake for you. Besides, nothing bad can happen, worst case scenario, we're extremely rich, and rulers of two island nations, right?"

"No, the worst thing to happen would be our lives void of our choices," Lucy said darkly, "But, maybe, when we're in charge- if we can't stop our wedding- we can make it better."

"The first sentence was depressingly pessimistic," Gray said disapprovingly, "Your second sentence was better though. Come on! Look on the bright side. I want to know what the best thing that could happen is. Tell me, 'cause we are going to make it happen."

"The thing I want is the for the wedding to be called off, and to go back to my parents." Lucy said.

"You don't even want a little bit of the vast fortune that you're supposed to inherit?" Gray asked, startled. No one was actually that perfect, right?

"Not a cent." Lucy chirped, "I only want the freedom to choose my own husband, and the right to see my parents."

"If only we were getting married by choice." Gray mused, "That's my best case scenario: us falling for each other, followed by a wedding thats for real, and for love."

"So let's get along, okay?" Gray pleaded, "We should be friends, just so we can get through this without tearing each other to pieces."

"I can live with that," Lucy agreed.

"You kids need to go to sleep!" roared a voice in the hall, "If you aren't in bed, lights off in thirty minutes, you're going to regret it."

"Yes sir!" shouted Gray, he then turned toward Lucy, "So we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good... partner." she smiled at him, something that Gray loved to see. He couldn't resist smiling back.

"Now get into that bathroom and change into your pajamas. I'll change out here."

"What's the big deal if we change in front of each other?" Gray was puzzled.

"You- you could see me!" Lucy hissed.

"So?" Gray said, "We're expected to have children together."

"Not if we can help it, remember? Besides, I only met you today, I don't want you seeing me naked. I'm going to go change in the bathroom though, since you've already started. You really should try to fix that problem of yours." Lucy stalked through the bathroom door.

Gray glanced down to find that his clothes had- once again- disappeared. Man he hated that habit. It had really messed up every attempt he had ever made to actually look good in front of people.

"Finished!" Lucy said, surprisingly not like she wanted to rip off Gray's head, "Would you like to take a shower tonight?" she asked.

"I prefer to shower in the mornings," Gray said, then began to climb into the bed, "Let's just go to sleep."

"Do we really have to sleep together?" Lucy whined, "Can't you sleep on the floor?"

"I'm an incredibly nice guy, Luce," Gray admitted, "But I won't go that far, even for my fiancé. Is it really that bad, to be close to me?"

Lucy rolled her eyes but sat down on the bed. "I really wanted to be alone when I did this." she began, "But I don't think that's going to be for a long time." The mysterious black box that she had been holding before was back in her hands. "Don't judge me, no matter what I do, because-" she commanded.

"Of course I won't!" interrupted Gray

"-Because I don't think I could handle it." she finished.

She slowly opened the box, and gasped in surprise at what she saw.

The necklace was a fine silver chain, with ten tiny golden keys on it.

"My mother told me about these!" Lucy exclaimed, "A great jewelry maker once spent twelve years creating the same amount of keys. The keys were supposed to represent the Twelve Zodiac Signs. They're famed for their exquisite beauty and detail. Mom showed me pictures. But she said that they were scattered, and no one knew where they went!"

"They might be replicas," Gray thought aloud.

"They aren't!" Lucy said, "Mom always hated imitations of the keys. She couldn't abide them. Just looking at one made her flip out. Trust me, these are the real things."

Her face began to lose its look of surprise, and her eyes reared up.

"You must have really loved her," Gray observed, "And I'm certain she loved you just as much."

Lucy burst into tears.

Again.

She was so tired of crying, but it felt good to just let her emotions run free.

Gray was at a total loss of what to do. He barely even saw people cry, let alone be the only person in the room besides the sobbing person.

He remembered what his parents used to do when he was upset, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged Lucy.

She buried her face in his chest and continued to wail.

When Lucy finished crying (which was a relief for both of them), she peeled herself away from Gray, and gave him a sad smile.

"Thanks for letting me cry on you. You're a great friend, and if we don't succeed, I'm sure that you will make a great husband and father. I'm just... so angry that those people took my parents away, I'm so mad that they ripped away my freedom, and I am livid that they think they can choose my husband." she sniffed once, "I'm going to take this slowly though, and that starts with getting a good nights sleep, and turning off the light so that angry guard from before doesn't do something drastic."

"I guess I'll get the light." Gray said, then took a deep breath, "Whomever you marry, I hope they deserve you. And, for the record, I know you would be a wonderful wife and mother. You're right though, you are absolutely, entirely right to hate them. They have the power to mess up people's lives, and they abused that power. The only thing left to do is show them just how wrong they are!"

He switched off the light, got back into bed, and tried to sleep. Gray lay there, awake for several hours before he finally dropped off.

It took Lucy slightly longer to fall asleep. She wondered just how the keys had come into her mother's possession. Were they really a family heirloom?

The End (of chapter three)

That key necklace may or may not be important. I haven't decided.

Also, just so you guys know, I'm fully aware that Lucy's birthday is July 1st, and that is not tomorrow, but I wanted a precise timeline in my head, so I wrote one in.

Again, if you have any concerns, critiques, ideas, etc. I'm completely open to them, but you have to tell me.

I don't really mind wether or not you review, I'm just saying that if you want to tell me something, by all means, tell me. I will not get offended, unless you simply put down the magic that is GraLu, or tell me that everything I write is crud. That's just being rude.

Oh, and if you notice the quality of my writing becoming worse, it's probably because I'm becoming way to lenient with my proof reading. The terror that is laziness has struck again.


	4. Scripts

Disclaimer: If you want to read something by the person that owns Fairy Tail, I'm afraid your only option is to read the manga.

Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long. Please forgive me.

July 1st, Day 1 of 365:

Lucy woke up to find herself trapped underneath something. Or rather someone. Which did not make her happy.

"Get off of me!" she squawked, "That's sexual harassment!"

"Geez Luce, you're grumpy this morning." Gray griped, stretching his arms out and yawning loudly, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Lucy said sharply, "However, please refrain from ever lying on top of me again."

"I didn't do it on purpose! I was asleep!" Gray reminded her.

"Hm... Forgiven. But it shouldn't happen again." Lucy said, then clambered out of the gigantic four poster bed, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower." She grabbed a pink tank top, tan skirt, and her favorite black boots.

The bathroom was amazing, yesterday Lucy had been way too angry to notice it, but today she could take everything in. The walls and floor were covered with a combination of green, blue, and white tiles that made Lucy think of the sea. The bath tub was the size of most swimming pools, and the shower was the same size as Lucy's room back at her real home. The bath fixtures were a so shiny that it hurt to look at them. Two incredibly fluffy towels- one pink and one dark blue- hung on the towel warmer. On the sink counter there was a variety of strawberry scented feminine products on one side, and vanilla scented masculine ones on the other.

Using the strawberry shampoo and strawberry conditioner, Lucy washed her hair. Then, she cleaned herself with strawberry soap. After that, she vacated the shower, got dressed,and put strawberry lotion on her hands. When she walked out of the luxurious bathroom, Gray raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"You really smell like strawberries." he chuckled.

"Isn't that good?"

"I guess so. It's just... really strong." Gray shrugged noncommittally.

"I think they want me to smell like this." Lucy confided in him, "There were a lot of strawberry smelling things in there. You, on the other hand, get to smell like vanilla."

"I believe you." Gray smiled , "I think I've smelled like vanilla since I was six."

"You don't right now." Lucy pointed out.

"That's because they were so focused on finding you they forgot to regulate my scent. I've flown under their radar for the past month or so." he explained.

"Guess I helped you with one thing."

"It's only the beginning."

As Gray grabbed his clothes, a red t-shirt and dark jeans, Lucy noticed, for the first time, the necklace he was wearing. She wondered if it had any symbolism to it. He exited before she had the chance to ask him.

She heard the shower turn on, and glanced around the room. Memorizing every detail so she could tell her parents about it. The floor was a rich, dark wood, covered by thick, pure white rugs. The walls were painted sky blue. The bed that she hated so much was covered by a dark blue duvet and creamy sheets. It was just as beautiful as the bathroom, if not more so.

When Gray walked out he really did smell like vanilla.

"Dang! If the smell coming from me is half as strong as that, then you were right, it's really bad." Lucy said.

"Told you!" Gray said imperiously.

"I have a feeling that we'll be wanted for breakfast," Lucy said, hastily changing the subject.

Gray wouldn't let her get away that easily, "I hope I can taste something over your smell."

"Shut it!" Lucy said, smacking him on top of his head.

"Okay! Point taken!" Gray gave in, "What do you think they'll serve for breakfast?"

"How should I know? I only got here yesterday." Lucy complained.

"It's your birthday. Maybe they want to cook your favorite meal." Gray said.

"Then I hope it's waffles with raspberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup."

(Author's Note: This is delicious. If you haven't tried this you should.)

"That does sound pretty good," said Gray.

Instead of eating in the dining hall, as they did last night, they ate in the breakfast room. It had floor to ceiling windows looking out onto a beach with snow white sands and bright blue water. The room was light green. A long maple table was in the center of the, around it were several chairs of the same wood. One chair was occupied by the master, already eating. Three plates were out, with waffles, raspberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup already on top.

"There's a dining room and a breakfast room?" Lucy said as she sat down.

"Yeah, pretty stupid huh?" Gray replied, looking down at the lavish meal before them, "It's kind of amazing that they already knew exactly what you wanted though."

"I'm not surprised in the least," Lucy said, digging into her waffle, "They already knew that I liked pink and strawberries. Why not know my favorite meal?"

"You're right," Gray said, placing a forkful of heaven in his mouth, "For a second I forgot who we were talking about."

The master cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes?" Lucy asked, looking up from her food.

"Now that you've realized that I'm here, I would like to let you know your schedule for the day: Right after breakfast, Lucy, you're getting your family mark."

Lucy glared at him but didn't say anything.

"Then you are going to make your official public appearance to the people, and announce your engagement. Afterwards, you'll go to bed."

"You mean the betrothal isn't already public knowledge?" Gray said, startled.

"Of course it isn't! It wouldn't seem right of anyone except the couple told the people, and we only just found Lucy!" the octogenarian said, as though this was simply common sense.

"What!" screamed Lucy, "I don't want to announce my marriage plans!"

"You can and you will!" Makarov said angrily, "As you should know, my hands are tied in these matters. If you don't do it they will make all of our lives miserable! Every single person in this castle! Consider your options wisely, because there's nothing we can do. But I beg you, don't make others suffer! No matter what you do you'll be unhappy, so do it for the others!"

"Fine!" Lucy snapped, thinking of how nice everyone had been.

"What am I doing all day?" Gray inquired.

"I already told you. Remember, you and Lucy are now attached at the hip. There will not be many points in time where you are separated." the old man said. "Though I do suggest you wear clothes when doing those things."

Gray discovered that he was already down to his boxers. He hurriedly put his clothes back on.

"Lucy, we've decided to hold off the celebration of your birthday until tomorrow. After you finish breakfast, Virgo will take you over to get your tattoo." the master said before storming off.

They followed Virgo to the kitchen, where Mira stamped the familiar crest on the back of Lucy's hand, in pink.

"At least I got to decide where they put it." Lucy whispered bitterly to Gray.

"I'm so glad you two are getting married!" Mira said, completely unaware of the mood.

"You are?" they said in unison.

"Yes! You guys are the cutest couple ever!" she squealed. "Which is good, because you both qualify as a celebrities, meaning that tons of people will be watching you!"

Lucy's face became a delicate shade of green and she turned to run.

"Don't let her get to you," Gray said into her ear as he stopped her, "This is her way of dealing with all couples. Whether they're real or not. She used to tell me I was wonderful for Juvia, and I frequently had to remind her that I am engaged."

"Can we leave though?" Lucy pleaded, glancing at Mira, "It kind of disturbs me, to think about our future, and the idea of paparazzi is frightening."

"Yes, but we have to walk."

"Where to?" Lucy whispered.

"I'd like to see the garden, before we have to make our 'public appearance'. I've heard it's beautiful."

"Oh, so they're going for a romantic stroll. Juvia will make sure nothing bad happens."

The garden was as lovely as promised. Vibrant flowers bloomed everywhere. Every color Lucy had ever seen- and some she hadn't- was present there. They came to a bench and sat down.

"Tell me about the governmental system on our islands." Lucy said.

Gray glanced at Lucy, then looked down at the grass, "There is a big group of islands that are united under a group of people called the Council. These islands are supposedly independently ruled by their kings and queens, but as you can see, we're being controlled by someone else. We've begun to suspect the Council."

"In that case, I hate the Council! I wish I could kill them! They're the worst people on the planet! I-"

Gray put his hand over Lucy's mouth, "Are you crazy?" he hissed, "Those words are treason. They can land you in prison!"

"What about the first amendment?" Lucy argued, then blushed, "Oh yeah, we're not in America."

Juvia snuck away, giggling, "Juvia now has proof to make her Love Rival go away!"

Of course Juvia had used her crazy stalker skills and made an audio recording of their conversation.

"And, just in case it doesn't get the rival in prison, Juvia will tell the Council she was acting on Gray-sama's orders. Then Love Rival will hate him! Gray-sama will be all Juvia's!"

This was the happiest Juvia had been since she found out about Gray's engagement. She laughed like a maniac. (Because she is one.)

(Back to Gray and Lucy)

Seemingly out of nowhere, Virgo popped up.

"Princess, and Prince you must change for your public appearance." she said.

Lucy looked down at her clothes, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

"As a princess, you must be the picture of grace and elegance. The clothes you are currently wearing do not fit into your character."

"My character!" Lucy spluttered.

"Luce..." Gray warned, "Remember what they can do."

The maid glanced at her watch, "You will find your clothes in your room. After you change, report to the screening room. You will receive your lines there." She then vanished.

Half an hour later, Gray and Lucy arrived at the 'screening room'. Lucy had an elaborate pink dress. (A/N: Like the one in my resolve.) Gray was wearing a dark suit, which he had somehow managed to keep on.

"Your lines, Lucy," Capricorn said respectfully, handing her a script.

Lucy was aghast, "What is this a movie? This entire thing is scripted!" She read the thing and her eyes widened even more, "I am not kissing him."

Capricorn stared at his fingernails, "I'm afraid, Lucy, that you are. You have one hour to memorize it. Afterwards, you will give your speech on the balcony. Please practice." He turned and walked away.

"Let's get it over with." Gray said quietly, motioning to their scripts.

After their hour of practice, they stepped out onto the balcony, well rehearsed and ready to roll. Thousands of people were gathered below, and Lucy could see news cameras.

"They're broadcasting all over the world." Gray explained, following her gaze.

"Why?"

"This is an important announcement, being done by a princess and her prince. As Mira said we are celebrities." Gary's eyes were sad and distant.

"I see," Lucy surveyed the crowd once more. They cheered like mad.

Lucy raised her hand in salutation, quieting the crowd down. "Greetings my people!" she called, "I'm Lucy... Lucy Fairy-Tail. I guess I'm going to be your princess from now on." She gave the nervous chuckle that her script called for.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster! Prince of Shima!" he supplied.

"I am going to marry Gray in exactly one year!" declared Lucy.

"Don't worry, I am worthy of Lucy!" Gray assured them, gagging as he did so, "I will treat her as well as a queen, though, of course, she will be one. I care for her more than all of the stars in the sky and the pearls in the ocean."

"And my love for Gray is greater than the oceans he mentioned before," Lucy shouted.

They turned and kissed each other.

Gray had never kissed a girl before, and he wasn't sure if he was doing it right.

It was Lucy's first kiss, and she hoped that she was performing up to the Council's standards.

The mass of people below loved it. They screamed and clapped so loudly that Lucy thought her eardrums would burst.

"Thank you!" she yelled over the cheers, "I will try my hardest to be a good ruler!"

She fingered her necklace and looked to the ground. "For my mother," she whispered, "For her, and for my father, I will have a happy public appearance. I won't let them know how miserable I am!" Lucy walked back into the screening room with Gray.

"That was a stellar performance!" Makarov congratulated them, "Great job!"

The future rulers walked away, uninterested.

"Are you ready to face the challenge?" Gray asked.

"What challenge?" said Lucy.

Gray pointed to the sign of the council on the tapestry before them, "Their challenge. We are some of the few people who have the nerve to stand up to the Council. The way that they've been throwing this stuff at us, they're scared."

"They are?"

Gray grinned, "Yeah, usually they aren't this involved. This means that we can actually make a difference!"

"Yes!" Lucy said, triumphant, "I'm going to do it! For my parents!"

"That's the spirit!" Gray encouraged her, then under his breath he added, "I'm doing this for Ul. I will make the people who have caused her death suffer."

The End.

I was right, this did take a lot of rewriting. And it's still not where I want it to be.

Isn't Juvia useful? She provides all authors of GraLu stories with an excellent villain. The Council is nice too. Man I hate them.

Just so you know, I don't hate Juvia, I just needed a way to make a certain something happen, and she was the solution.


	5. The Ball

Disclaimer: It's kind of obvious.

Day 2 of 365:

The second day started much like the first, with Lucy pushing Gray off of her screaming bloody murder, a plethora of strawberry and vanilla scented toiletries, and a delectable breakfast of bacon, eggs, and waffles.

"What's my schedule today?" Lucy asked, bracing herself for the worst.

"We are having a ball for your birthday today, so you'll be given dancing and etiquette lessons." the Master replied.

That was worse than Lucy could possibly imagine.

"Who will be teaching me?"

The Master shoveled a large bite of food into his mouth, chewed slowly, then finally answered, "I believe it will be Capricorn."

"I see," Lucy finished the rest if her breakfast without tasting it. When the meal was over, Capricorn escorted her and Gray to the room her lessons took place in.

Admittedly, Lucy loved the room. Mahogany bookshelves lined the walls, and rich, red leather chairs sat atop the plush carpet.

However, as soon as Capricorn launched into a long-winded lecture on why etiquette was one if the most important assets a princess had at her disposal, Lucy began to hate the the place.

"... A princesses posture is the key to a good appearance. No one who slouched ever made a good ruler..."

It went on and on and on.

Gray shook with silent laughter as Lucy's eyes glazed over and she slumped in her chair. Capricorn didn't seem to notice, despite the fact that he was giving a talk on keeping your spine straight.

"I think that wraps up everything you need to know for your ball tonight," the verbose man glanced down at his watch, "It's been about three hours, so you may take lunch, afterwards you learn to dance- though I do hope that you wear clothes while you do that."

Gray jumped up in surprise and began the hunt for his shirt.

Lucy chewed her lip in frustration. This hasn't been what she was expecting at all- it was way worse, "Sir, I already know how to ballroom dance. My mother ran a dance academy."

The man straightened his necktie, "Very well, in that case I want you to oversee the preparations on the ballroom. Most of it is finished, but you can choose stuff like the type of flowers."

Walking out of the "classroom" Lucy wasn't sure where to go. "Is there a lunchroom, or do we eat in the dining hall?"

Gray laughed in surprise and smirked at her, "I believe they call it the luncheon hall."

"Of course! How silly of me."

Gray pushed open a heavily decorated wooden door. "This is it."

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Lucy!" a crowd of people shouted.

A banner bearing the same words was hanging on the wall. Streamers hung from the ceiling. Several brightly wrapped presents were neatly stacked next to a tapestry depicting some of Lucy's ancestors. A large chocolate cake was on the table.

Lucy cocked an eyebrow and turned towards Gray, "Is this your doing?"

"What! No, of course not!" he said defensively, raising his hands up.

"It was Gray," Mira whispered secretively, "He really loves you!"

Lucy flinched at those words, grimaced at Mira, and glared at Gray, "Spill it. What's going on?"

Gray looked sheepishly at the oriental carpet, "I just thought that you might like a kind-of-normal-party, since the Council's throwing you an extravagant-but-still-not-showing-off-too-much-sup er-big-birthday-ball."

"It's wonderful! But I would have been fine with you guys just wishing me well, you didn't have to buy me anything. Trust me, I have enough stuff.

"These are just for show!" Levy joked.

Lucy picked one up, and shook it slowly, "They are?"

"No silly! We may have just met you, Lu-chan, but we already adore you. We wanted to buy you gifts. 'Cause we're friends!"

Lucy, friendless all her life, was taken entirely by surprise to learn that she had so many.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open them." Natsu said bluntly, holding out a messily wrapped present.

Unwrapping it, Lucy found it to be a stick.

"Anytime you want, I'll light it on fire for you!"

Happy handed her a package that was shaped like a fish. It was a fish. (Surprised?)

Levy gave her a journal.

"That way you can write your own book! Then I can read it!"

Jet and Droy each gave her a book.

"Levy suggested it!"

From Gajeel she received an iron brick.

"Use it well!"

Panther Lily handed her a whip.

"How did you know that I use these?" she asked, astonished.

"I pay attention. I expect you to train as well as you can."

Mira said that the cake was from her, "After all, what's a party without cake?" she gushed.

Predictably, Cana had wrapped a bottle of something alcoholic and given it to Lucy.

"You can drink this, I'm still underage." Lucy said awkwardly, handing it back.

"Thanks," Cana slurred, popping it open and taking big gulps.

A stuffed lion from Loke.

A simple dress from Wendy and Carla.

Another stick from Romeo.

"He really looks up to Natsu," Mira explained in a hushed voice, "He probably thought that Natsu had a great idea, so he imitated him."

Erza had decided upon a sword.

"It's great if you are attacked!"

Bisca and Alzack gave Lucy a set of decorative bullets.

Laxus told them that gracing the party with his presence should have been enough. Nevertheless, he handed her a bag containing a tiny jar.

"Bottled lightning."

Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen each gave Lucy a framed picture of Laxus.

"They worship him," Mira told Lucy.

Lisanna gave Lucy an adorable stuffed cat.

A book entitled "How to be a Manly Man" was the gift Lucy received from Elfman. Almost everyone in the room face palmed.

Juvia's gift exploded in Lucy's face.

"Juvia does not like the Love Rival. Juvia is exacting revenge." she muttered under her breath.

"I think that's everything." Lucy said gathering up wrapping paper.

"There's one more," Gray handed Lucy a box similar to the one her key necklace had come in. She looked at him warily.

Natsu was impatient, "Open it!" he urged.

Lucy found a bracelet much like the golden necklace she was wearing, only with silver keys. Looking at it closer you could see that the charms depicted different star systems from the ones on her chain.

"You didn't!" she gasped.

Gray put his hands on her shoulders, "Guess what, I did!"

"Didn't what? I'm confused." Natsu whined.

"He got me some more key charms that represent different constellations! Thanks Gray!" she gushed. "He also took off his clothes." she added, far less enthusiasticly.

"They have to somewhere around here..." Gray muttered, searching.

"Here Gray-sama! Juvia has found them for you."

"Oh! I forgot!" Lucy said, flustered, "We're supposed to be eating lunch, then show up in the ballroom to 'oversee preparations.'"

"So we eat! Then you'll get over there." Mira said, "I've already made your meal."

Everyone else in the room shuffled awkwardly. "Mira," Levi said shyly, "Most of us have to get back to our jobs."

"Come to think of it, so do I!" the white-haired said, startled, "I hope you enjoy lunch, but we must take our leave! Goodbye!"

With that everyone cleared up the mess and ran off in five seconds flat.

"This would be the downside of being a prince," Gray pointed out, "All of your friends are servants who are always busy."

"Oh, the trials of being rich." Lucy rolled her eyes.

The plates Mira had set out before she left were occupied by turkey sandwiches, which turned out to be incredible.

"This food is as good as always." Lucy said, "How do people keep from getting fat?"

"We get plenty of exercise. Soon you'll start on horseback riding, fencing, whichever sport you're interested in, and a type of martial arts- your choice which one. According to the council, the people like a ruler who is fit, into sports, and capable of defending themselves. It 'makes them feel more secure.'" Gray replied.

"What sport are you in? Which form of martial arts do you take?" Lucy asked.

"Soccer, and a specialized type that the natives of my island invented. It's called Shikoto. The island is mountainous and freezing, so most of the exercises have to with adjusting to the cold. I've had to stand naked in the freezing cold so many times." Gray answered.

"Lucy scratched her chin thoughtfully, "I wonder if skills with a whip count..." she thought aloud, then looked at Gray, "Is Shikoto done shirtless?" she said innocently, picking up his shirt.

The familiar face that Gray ways made when he discovered he was half naked soon appeared, and he scrambled to get his shirt back on.

"The preparations will be long and boring, won't they?" Lucy said, swallowing another bite of sandwich.

"No, they'll be rushed and hectic." Gray corrected.

"Oh, even better." Lucy popped the last bite of sandwich in her mouth, then stood up, "You wouldn't happen to know where the ballroom is, would you?"

"Not a clue."

"I guess we'll be wandering around helplessly again." Lucy sighed.

"Au'contraire, I asked Juvia to get me a map." Gray grinned, pulling the paper out of nowhere.

"Right, Juvia..." Lucy was quiet a minute as they strolled to the Grand Ballroom, "Why does she call me her love rival? Was there something between you?" Lucy suddenly said awkwardly.

Gray sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "Juvia is a creepy stalker who happens to be interested in me. Anything that ever happened between us was just Juvia's imagination. Why, jealous?"

"No! I'm not jealous! I just wanted a better view of the current situation." Lucy said hysterically.

"Whatever you say," Gray smirked.

"Have you ever 'overseen preparations'? What's it like?" Lucy asked curiously.

"I've done it loads of times," Gray said, "It's incredibly easy. You just sit, watch, and tell them they're doing a wonderful job."

"Just one more thing that isn't what it should be." Lucy murmured.

Gray heard this, but chose to ignore it, "I think we take a left here," he directed.

When they finally figured out where they were on the map, and stepped into the ballroom, they were ushered out right away.

"You shouldn't be here, Princess." Virgo scolded, "It's supposed to be a surprise."

"I'm sorry," squeaked Aries, pushing them out gently.

Lucy and Gray let themselves be shoved away, and stood there blankly.

Lucy shook herself, clearing away her surprise, "What just happened?"

"Um... We were kicked out. Apparently, Capricorn didn't communicate very well with the others." Gray said dryly.

"I simply must admire their powers of organization." Lucy said sarcastically, "Is this normal?"

Gray gave a bitter chuckle, "Sadly, yes. But at least it gives us some free time."

"To do what?"

"Wander some more."

"Yay." Lucy said, "I'm absolutely thrilled."

Gray looked at her nervously, "Do you like swimming? I think you have a pool somewhere..."

"No."

"Bowling? Roller skating? Watching movies?" he searched frantically for something that would satisfy the angry blonde.

"I'm going to write," she said, voice filled with acid.

Gray mustered up some courage, and decided to figure out what was bothering her, "Why are you so mad?"

"I don't want to just be shuffled around, unsure of my plans until the very last minute. I want control. I'm in way over my head." Lucy complained.

"Look, you have every right to be filled with hatred and anger, but don't direct it at me. I haven't done a thing." Gray snapped.

Lucy's shoulders slumped, "Right. I know, just leave me alone. And thanks."

"For the bracelet?"

"For everything. I would not be able to get through this without you. You're my island in this ocean if chaos." Lucy grinned, "Stay there for me okay. And the bracelet really was sweet."

"You're welcome." Gray smiled back, it was hard not to.

An hour or so later, as Lucy was working feverishly on her novel and Gray was doing who-knows-what, Virgo popped up again.

"Princess, you must prepare for the ball."

Several layers if makeup later, Lucy walked slowly down the hall leading to the gigantic ballroom. Gray (as always) was beside her.

"I'm here," he whispered, "Don't worry about a thing."

He took her hand and her grip tightened.

"Presenting, the princess herself, a freshly minted eighteen year old, the beloved future ruler Lucy Fairy-Tail, and her wonderful fiancé, Gray Fullbuster!" a voice announced them.

"Behave yourselves, children," the master hissed before they walked through the door.

The decorations (and the room) were exactly as extravagant as Lucy expected then to be. The floor- though it was hard to see through all the people standing on it- was a complicated yet elegant wood inlay pattern. Giant pink silk bows were hung on the wall. Lavish food set out on a huge table in the back of the room, the rest of the room was kept clear for dancing. An amazingly talented orchestra was playing a waltz as they sat on the stage. Various fine ladies and noblemen danced expertly, in clothes just as impressive as the room itself. The gigantic crystal chandelier seemed to be glittering with happiness.

"This looks like it's going to be fun," Lucy sighed.

"It's gonna suck," Gray agreed.

To make a long story short, it did.

Balls are nasty, glittery affairs full of far too much dancing, showing off your money, and uncomfortable clothes. Because of all the etiquette, it's hard to say anything without worrying that you'll offend anyone. Several people choose to remain silent. No one likes balls, but they must show up and behave as though they do, because otherwise, they would appear to be rude. Also, there is a small chance that you might meet someone rich who likes you, and eventually be forced to marry them, moving up in society. Balls are about third on the list for causes of arranged marriages.

Lucy had been hoping to meet Gray's family, but he said they were at a different ball, and he was representing them here. So the only good thing she had to look forward to wasn't happening.

Several people wished her a happy birthday congratulated her on her betrothal. (At least with the way they talked, who knew? That was what Lucy thought they were saying.) She smiled, nodded, and thanked them, trying really hard to not mess up.

When the horrible thing finally ended it was time to go to bed, which Lucy did gladly. She did everything that was required before she could go to sleep, crawled into bed, and was out.

It was a good sleep.

Chapter End.

I'm so sorry this wasn't up sooner. I've had a lot of stuff going on.

So... schools starting. And I really don't want to be distracted by this during the term, so I'm going to go on hiatus. I'll still write a couple of chapters for this, especially during vacations, but... There is one story I have, that's pre-written, so I'll probably use that.

In case any of you are wondering, I am not doing a chapter for every day. That would take too long. I'm just giving everything proximity towards the start. Later on it will speed up.

Moments to Remember and Betrothed are not over. I promise.


	6. Treasonous Words

Disclaimer: Do I look like Hiro Mashima? ... Oh yeah... You can't see me...

Well, for me, two days ago was Rash Hashanah! (Sundown Sept. 4-Sundown Sept. 5) Happy New Year!

July 3rd, Day 3 of 365:

"So Juvia, you recorded Princess Fairy-Tail saying treasonous things?" The man was impossible for Juvia to see, as his office was almost pitch black.

"Yes, sir."

"Let us hear it."

First only static was heard, than Lucy's voice came into focus, _ "I hate the Council! I wish I could kill them! They're the worst people on the planet!"_

"Ah, I see, this is indeed grave," the stranger said, "We must somehow punish the actions of the young princess but how...?" Juvia heard him shift suddenly in his chair, "You say you were acting on Prince Fullbuster's orders?"

"Yes, Gray-sama was suspicious of the princess, he told Juvia to spy on her."

"Yes... He must be rewarded."

"Will you tell Gray-sama that Juvia did a good job?" the maid asked hopefully.

"When you speak of the prince, I implore you to use his proper title! Learn some respect you twit!" the stranger thundered.

"I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, and ran out of the room.

July 4th Day 4 of 365:

That morning Lucy didn't freak out (at first) when she realized Gray was on top of her again. She just enjoyed the warmth, until she noticed that he was awake too, and looking her right in the eye.

"G-get off of me!" she stuttered, turning bright red.

"I don't see why I should Luce. You seemed to be enjoying it before." Gray smirked.

"We have to get up and go to breakfast." Lucy stated matter of factly.

"Oh yeah... We have lives. Darn," he said.

"If you can call them lives." Lucy muttered darkly.

Eating their breakfast- which was once again amazing- they were told that Lucy's physical training would start today.

Walking to the gym- or whatever the stupid royals called it- Lucy accidentally wondered aloud what she would be doing.

"You mentioned before that you can use a whip, right?" the raven haired teen asked.

"Yes, I guess I did," Lucy was taken aback. How had he managed to notice, much less remember that?

Apparently, Erza was teaching Lucy to fence- something that sounded fun, but really wasn't. She seemed to expect Lucy to already know how, and within minutes they were sparring. Without gear.

(Time skip, because I know nothing about fencing.)

Bruised and battered, Lucy sipped her water next to an equally beat up Gray.

"So she got you just as bad too, huh?"

The Fairy-Tail household had somehow known that Lucy was handy with a whip, and she had had a class in that during Gray's session. When she had been fencing, he had been at Shikoto. They were about to head to horseback riding, then soccer.

"Yeah... Fencing is a painful class." he complained.

"Beauty hurts." Lucy grinned

"Huh?" Gray scratched his head.

"I keeps you fit and- I'm not going to explain it to you if you don't understand!" Lucy was brighter than a strawberry.

"Are you saying you think I'm attractive?"

"N-no!" Lucy screeched, her blush darkening.

This moment, which Gray was enjoying a lot, was interrupted by Virgo.

"Princess, you have been summoned by Mr. Jameson, please head to his office, you too Princess's betrothed." the maid said, before disappearing.

Gray's face darkened, but he soon regained his composure.

"Is that bad?" whispered Lucy.

Gray bit his lip, wondering how honest he should be.

"... It could be," he said.

Lucy chewed her pointer finger nervously.

(Author's Note: Lucy doesn't do this, but it's a problem many people, including me, have.)

"Don't do that," Gray said, "That's not a good habit."

"Am I going to be okay?" she asked, eyes fearful.

"You forget that I'm here for you," Gray told her.

Her finger was back in her mouth.

Gray grabbed her hand, wiped her finger on his shirt, and clasped it tightly.

"I won't let them do anything too bad." he promised.

"I trust you," Lucy said, smiling palely.

He could see that she did. In the few days he had known her she had come to trust him so absolutely that she would follow him anywhere. They knew each other better than anyone. Linked together by strong chains of friendship.

If only he knew what was coming would absolutely shatter that bond. Lucy was about to lose all faith in Gray.

Walking into the strange office Gray had somehow located on that map of his, Lucy was happy she had him with her. Gray would always support her.

The office was simply decorated and poorly lit. They could only see a silhouette of Mr. Jameson.

"Ah, Princess Fairy-Tail, Prince Fullbuster. How kind of you to join me," the man was smiling sadistically, and Gray gave Lucy's hand a squeeze.

"There's been a... complication," Mr. Jameson continued.

"What's wrong?" Lucy, inquired, curious as to why they needed her.

"Well, it seems, my dear, that _you_... have committed treason,"

"I have?" Lucy was bewildered, than she remembered Gray's words in the garden a few days ago, _"Are you crazy? Those words are treason. They can land you in prison!"_

"Yes, you have. You mentioned that you wish to kill the council. Would you like to hear the recording?"

"No thank you sir," Lucy said, eyes wet.

"We can't really have this getting out. The islands need to have faith in their rulers. However, we do need to do something to remedy this awful behavior. Any recommendations?"

"No sir, I have none," Lucy knew that they would take away what little freedom she still had.

"How about you Gray? You are the one who found her out, aren't you?" the man's smile was as wide as America by now.

"I-I am?" Gray said, startled.

"He was?" Lucy was crushed. Her 'island of calm in this sea of chaos' was crumbling. Gray had betrayed her.

"You asked your maid to record your conversation of Lucy, because you were suspicious of her."

"I assure you sir, I did no such thing!"

"There is no need to be modest Gray. You have done something wonderful! But back to Lucy. What shall we do with... _you_?"

Not sure if the question was rhetorical, they didn't say a word.

"I know," said Mr. Jameson, pretending to have an idea, "This way of thinking is obviously your adoptive parents' fault. We better cut you off from their terrible influence. Which means you are not contacting them in any way."

"No!" Lucy gasped, first the Gray she knew had been taken away, and now her parents were gone too.

"Now darling, we don't blame you in the slightest. It's all those nasty Jennings's fault."

Gray was livid. We're they lying to try and break Lucy's and his friendship?

"Sir, I never asked Juvia to spy on Lucy!"

"Juvia doesn't agree with that. You can ask her yourself."

Of course. Juvia wanted to break them up. Gray smacked his face for being so daft.

"I trusted you!" Lucy screamed at Gray, "And you were just waiting for me to say something bad! Was everything you told me a lie? Is this some kind of game to you?" tears streaming down her cheeks, she ran out of the room, sobbing.

"Wait! Lucy! I swear I didn't do that!" Gray chased after his best friend.

Chapter End

So sad! I don't know why this is where the story went.

Anyways, I'm super sad, because I worked long and hard on a story that apparently isn't allowed on FanFiction. Because it's interactive. I posted it on my WattPad account, which is called LoveTheBirds. I hope this works out.


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